Human hair fiber treatment agent

ABSTRACT

A human hair fiber treatment agent for treating human hair fibers separated from the human head and artificially fixed at one part of the longitudinal direction, wherein the human hair fiber treatment agent comprises the following components (A) to (C) in the formulation thereof, and the content of the component (A) is 1% by mass or more: (A): formaldehyde or a hydrate thereof; (B): a melamine derivative represented by the formula (1) wherein R1 to R3 each represent a hydrogen atom, a hydroxymethylamino group, a hydroxy group, a halogen atom, a phenyl group, a linear or branched alkyl group or alkenyl group having 1 or more and 6 or less carbon atoms, or a linear or branched alkoxy group or alkenyloxy group having 1 or more and 6 or less carbon atoms; and (C): water.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a human hair fiber treatment agentwhich semi-permanently or permanently changes the shape of human hairfibers implanted in a wig, or human hair fibers as a tress.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Heretofore, synthetic hair fibers and human hair fibers have been widelyknown as fibers used for making wigs.

Wigs using synthetic hair provide the following advantages: their highheat resistance easily allows straight hair to be curled or curled hairto be straightened using a heating tool such as a curling iron(hereinafter, referred to as “shape imparting properties”), and such acurled or straight shape formed using a heating tool is retained evenunder hot and humid conditions such as bathing or hair wash(hereinafter, referred to as “shape sustainability”). Furthermore, thewigs using synthetic hair are also excellent because such wigs are morerigid and have higher strength as compared with wigs using human hair.On the other hand, the wigs using synthetic hair have the followingdisadvantages: gloss is strong due to smooth surface, and the originalpurpose of wearing natural feeling of hair with a wig is difficult toachieve due to unnatural texture.

Wigs using human hair provide the advantages that the wigs have textureor gloss similar to those of self hair and produce natural appearanceupon wearing. Most people who wear wigs do not want to be known toanyone as wearing wigs. Under such circumstances, it is largelyadvantageous to produce natural appearance on the wig.

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a fiber tress for hairprepared by mixing human hair with polyester fibers having specificphysical properties, in order to overcome the disadvantage for poorshape sustainability of human hair while maintaining the excellentcharacteristics of human hair. Patent Literature 2 discloses a hairornament product prepared by blending regenerated collagen fibers withhuman hair, in order to overcome the disadvantage for accumulation offrizz of human hair products and also to supplement permanent waveperformance which is a disadvantage of the regenerated collagen fibers.

(Patent Literature 1) International Publication No. WO 2005/037000

(Patent Literature 2) JP-A-2007-177370

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention provides a human hair fiber treatment agent fortreating human hair fibers separated from the human head andartificially fixed at one part of the longitudinal direction, whereinthe human hair fiber treatment agent comprises the following components(A) to (C) in the formulation thereof, and the content of the component(A) is 1% by mass or more:

(A): formaldehyde or a hydrate thereof;

(B): a melamine derivative represented by the formula (1):

wherein R¹ to R³ are the same or different and each represent a hydrogenatom, a hydroxymethylamino group, a hydroxy group, a halogen atom, aphenyl group, a linear or branched alkyl group or alkenyl group having 1or more and 6 or less carbon atoms, or a linear or branched alkoxy groupor alkenyloxy group having 1 or more and 6 or less carbon atoms; and

(C): water.

The present invention further provides a method for treating human hairfibers, comprising the following step (i):

(i) the step of immersing human hair fibers separated from the humanhead and artificially fixed at one part of the longitudinal direction inthe human hair fiber treatment agent described above under heating.

The present invention further provides a method for producing a wig,comprising the step of treating human hair fibers implanted in a wig bythe method for treating human hair fibers described above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Human hair currently used in hair ornament products such as wigsundergoes many treatment steps including removal of cuticle by chemicaltreatment as well as bleaching and dyeing, in order to impart uniformshapes or colors thereto. Therefore, the human hair may be damagedduring these steps (Patent Literature 1) and is known to presentproblems associated with durability (Patent Literature 2).

In recent years, an increasing number of people have given weight toappearance because of increasing needs for aesthetics. Thus, there hasbeen a demand for wigs having higher durability.

However, in the techniques described in Patent Literatures 1 and 2, thesynthetic hair-derived disadvantages of unnatural appearance and poorfeel are still not solved because human hair is mixed with synthetichair. Thus, these techniques are insufficient for providing naturalappearance.

Thus, the present invention relates to a human hair fiber treatmentagent for producing a wig or a tress which is excellent in shapesustainability and durability while retaining the natural appearance ofhuman hair, as well as to a method for treating human hair fibers.

The present inventor has found that the treatment of human hair fibersimplanted in a wig or of a tress with a composition containing specificaldehyde compound and specific melamine derivative can not only impartshape sustainability to the human hair fibers but also improve thestrength of the human hair fibers, thereby improving durability; andthat as a result, the treated human hair fibers satisfy shapesustainability, natural gloss, good feel, and high durabilitysimultaneously. Thus the present inventors have completed the invention.

According to the present invention, a wig or a tress which is excellentin shape sustainability and durability while retaining the naturalappearance and good feel of human hair can be produced.

In the present invention, the human hair fibers separated from the humanhead and artificially fixed at one part of the longitudinal directionrefer to hair collected by cutting from the human head and thenimplanted in a wig, or a tress prepared by bundling one end thereof. Inthe present invention, the “wig” includes a full wig, which covers thewhole head, as well as a partial wig, which is worn in a portion of thehead. In the present invention, the “tress” also includes a hairextension.

[Component (A): Formaldehyde or Hydrate Thereof]

The component (A) is formaldehyde or a hydrate thereof. Examples of theformaldehyde hydrate include formaldehyde monohydrate (methanediol).Among these compounds as the component (A), formaldehyde is preferred inview of imparting higher shape sustainability and durability to thetreated human hair fibers.

The content of the component (A) in the human hair fiber treatment agentof the present invention is 1% by mass or more, preferably 2.5% by massor more, more preferably 5% by mass or more, in view of imparting highershape sustainability and strength to the treated human hair fibers, andpreferably 60% by mass or less, more preferably 50% by mass or less,further preferably 40% by mass or less, still further preferably 35% bymass or less, still further preferably 30% by mass or less, from theviewpoint mentioned above as well as in view of formulation suitability.

Specifically, the content of the component (A) in the human hair fibertreatment agent of the present invention is preferably 1 to 60% by mass,more preferably 1 to 50% by mass, further preferably 2.5 to 40% by mass,still further preferably 5 to 35% by mass, still further preferably 5 to30% by mass, in view of imparting higher shape sustainability andstrength to the treated human hair fibers and in view of formulationsuitability.

[Component (B): Specific Melamine Derivative]

The component (B) is a melamine derivative represented by the formula(1):

wherein R¹ to R³ are the same or different and each represent a hydrogenatom, a hydroxymethylamino group, a hydroxy group, a halogen atom, aphenyl group, a linear or branched alkyl group or alkenyl group having 1or more and 6 or less carbon atoms, or a linear or branched alkoxy groupor alkenyloxy group having 1 or more and 6 or less carbon atoms.

The melamine derivative as the component (B) is preferably at least onemember selected from the group consisting of melamine andtrimethylolmelamine, more preferably melamine, in view of impartinghigher shape sustainability and durability to the treated human hairfibers. The component (B) can be used alone, or two or more typesthereof can be used in combination.

The content of the component (B) in the human hair fiber treatment agentof the present invention is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, morepreferably 1% by mass or more, further preferably 2.5% by mass or more,still further preferably 5% by mass or more, in view of imparting highershape sustainability and strength to the treated human hair fibers, andpreferably 60% by mass or less, more preferably 50% by mass or less,further preferably 40% by mass or less, still further preferably 35% bymass or less, still further preferably 30% by mass or less from theviewpoint described above as well as in view of improving human hairfiber surface feel.

Specifically, the content of the component (B) in the human hair fibertreatment agent of the present invention is preferably 0.1 to 60% bymass, more preferably 1 to 50% by mass, further preferably 2.5 to 40% bymass, still further preferably 5 to 35% by mass, still furtherpreferably 5% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less, in view ofimparting higher shape sustainability and strength to the treated humanhair fibers and in view of improving human hair fiber surface feel.

The molar ratio of the component (A) to the component (B), which areapplied to the human hair fibers by the human hair fiber treatment agentof the present invention, (A)/(B), is preferably 0.005 or more, morepreferably 0.01 or more, further preferably 0.05 or more, still furtherpreferably 0.1 or more, still further preferably 0.5 or more, stillfurther preferably 0.75 or more, in view of attaining much better shapesustainability and strength of the treated human hair fibers through acondensate of the component (A) and the component (B) formed in thehuman hair fibers, and preferably less than 5, more preferably 4 orless, further preferably 3 or less, still further preferably 2.5 orless, still further preferably 2 or less, still further preferably 1.75or less, still further preferably 1.5 or less, in view of favorablefeel.

Specifically, the molar ratio of the component (A) to the component (B),(A)/(B), is preferably 0.005 or more and less than 5, more preferably0.01 to 4, further preferably 0.05 to 3, still further preferably 0.1 to2.5, still further preferably 0.1 to 2, still further preferably 0.5 to1.75, still further preferably 0.75 to 1.5, in view of attaining muchbetter shape sustainability and strength of the treated human hairfibers through a condensate of the component (A) and the component (B)formed in the human hair fibers and in view of favorable feel.

[Component (C): Water]

The human hair fiber treatment agent of the present invention comprises(C) water as a vehicle. The content of the component (C) in the humanhair fiber treatment agent of the present invention is preferably 10% bymass or more, more preferably 20% by mass or more, further preferably30% by mass or more, still further preferably 40% by mass or more, andpreferably 99% by mass or less, more preferably 97% by mass or less,further preferably 95% by mass or less, still further preferably 90% bymass or less.

Specifically, the content of the component (C) in the human hair fibertreatment agent of the present invention is preferably 10 to 99% bymass, more preferably 20 to 97% by mass, further preferably 30 to 95% bymass, still further preferably 40 to 90% by mass.

If necessary, a lower alcohol having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, such asmethanol or ethanol, may be used in combination therewith. In this case,the content of the lower alcohol having 1 to 3 carbon atoms in the humanhair fiber treatment agent of the present invention is preferably 60% bymass or less, more preferably 40% by mass or less, further preferably30° by mass or less, still further preferably 20% by mass or less,further preferably 15% by mass or less, still further preferably 10% bymass or less, in view of imparting higher shape sustainability anddurability to the treated human hair fibers. The content is preferably0.1% by mass or more.

The human hair fiber treatment agent of the present invention preferablyfurther comprises glutaraldehyde in view of further improving the shapesustainability of the human hair fibers. The content of theglutaraldehyde in the human hair fiber treatment agent of the presentinvention is preferably 0.001% by mass or more, more preferably 0.05% bymass or more, further preferably 0.1% by mass or more, still furtherpreferably 0.5% by mass or more, still further preferably 1.0° by massor more, and preferably 30% by mass or less, more preferably 20% by massor less, further preferably 15% by mass or less, still furtherpreferably 10% by mass or less, still further preferably 5% by mass orless.

Specifically, the content of the glutaraldehyde in the human hair fibertreatment agent of the present invention is preferably 0.001 to 30% bymass, more preferably 0.05 to 20% by mass, further preferably 0.1 to 15%by mass, still further preferably 0.5 to 10% by mass, still furtherpreferably 1.0 to 5% by mass.

The human hair fiber treatment agent of the present invention preferablycontains a cationic surfactant in view of improving the feel of thetreated human hair fibers and further improving the advantageous effectsof the invention of the present application. The cationic surfactant ispreferably a mono long-chain alkyl quaternary ammonium salt having onealkyl group having 8 to 24 carbon atoms and three alkyl groups having 1to 4 carbon atoms.

Preferably, at least one mono long-chain alkyl quaternary ammonium saltis selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by thefollowing formula:

wherein R⁴ represents a saturated or unsaturated linear or branchedalkyl group having 8 to 22 carbon atoms, R⁸—CO—NH—(CH₂)_(m)— orR⁸—CO—O—(CH₂)_(m)— (wherein R⁸ represents a saturated or unsaturatedlinear or branched alkyl chain having 7 to 21 carbon atoms, and mrepresents an integer of 1 to 4); R⁵, R⁶ and R⁷ each independentlyrepresent an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a hydroxylalkylgroup having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and X⁻ represents a chloride ion, abromide ion, a methosulfate ion or an ethosulfate ion.

Preferred examples of the cationic surfactant include long-chainquaternary ammonium compounds such as cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride,myristyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, behentrimonium chloride, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, and stearamidopropyltrimonium chloride.These cationic surfactants may be used alone or may be used as amixture.

The content of the cationic surfactant in the human hair fiber treatmentagent of the present invention is preferably 0.05% by mass or more, morepreferably 0.1% by mass or more, and preferably 10% by mass or less,more preferably 5% by mass or less, in view of improving the feel of thetreated human hair fibers and further improving the advantageous effectsof the invention of the present application.

The human hair fiber treatment agent of the present invention preferablycontains silicone in view of improving the feel of the treated humanhair fibers and improving styling ease. The silicone is preferably oneor more members selected from the group consisting ofdimethylpolysiloxane and amino-modified silicone.

Any of cyclic or noncyclic dimethylpolysiloxane polymers can be used asthe dimethylpolysiloxane. Examples thereof include SH200 series,BY22-019, BY22-020, BY11-026, B22-029, BY22-034, BY22-050A, BY22-055,BY22-060, BY22-083, and FZ-4188 (all from Dow Corning Toray Co., Ltd.),and KF-9088, KM-900 series, MK-15H, and MK-88 (all from Shin-EtsuChemical Co., Ltd.).

Every silicone having an amino group or an ammonium group can be used asthe amino-modified silicone. Examples thereof include amino-modifiedsilicone oil with all or some terminal hydroxyl groups end-capped with amethyl group or the like, and amodimethicone without end capping.Preferred examples of the amino-modified silicone include compoundsrepresented by the following formula, in view of improving the feel ofthe treated human hair fibers and improving styling ease:

wherein R′ represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group or R^(X); R^(X)represents a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon grouphaving 1 to 20 carbon atoms; J represents R^(X), R″—(NHCH₂CH₂)_(a)NH₂,OR^(X) or a hydroxy group; R″ represents a divalent hydrocarbon grouphaving 1 to 8 carbon atoms; a represents a number of 0 to 3; and b and crepresent numbers, the sum of which becomes 10 or more and less than20,000, preferably 20 or more and less than 3,000, more preferably 30 ormore and less than 1,000, further preferably 40 or more and less than800, in terms of number average.

Specific examples of a preferred commercially available product of theamino-modified silicone include: amino-modified silicone oils such asSF8452C and SS3551 (both from Dow Corning Toray Co., Ltd.), and KF-8004,KF-8675, and KF-8015 (all from Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.); andamodimethicone emulsions such as SM8704C, SM8904, BY22-079, FZ-4671, andFZ4672 (all from Dow Corning Toray Co., Ltd.).

The content of the silicone in the human hair fiber treatment agent ofthe present invention is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, morepreferably 0.2% by mass or more, further preferably 0.5% by mass ormore, and preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass orless, further preferably 5% by mass or less, in view of improving thefeel of the treated human hair fibers and further improving theadvantageous effects of the invention of the present application.

The human hair fiber treatment agent of the present invention preferablycontains a cationic polymer in view of improving the feel of the treatedhuman hair fibers.

The cationic polymer refers to a polymer having a cationic group or agroup ionizable with a cationic group and also includes an ampholyticpolymer which becomes cationic as a whole. Specific examples thereofinclude aqueous solutions containing an amino group or an ammonium groupat a side chain of the polymer chain, or containing diallyl quaternaryammonium salt as a constituent unit, for example, cationized cellulosederivatives, cationic starch, cationized guar gum derivatives, polymersor copolymers of diallyl quaternary ammonium salt, and quaternizedpolyvinylpyrrolidone derivatives. Among them, one or two or more membersselected from the group consisting of a polymer containing diallylquaternary ammonium salt as a constituent unit, a quaternizedpolyvinylpyrrolidone derivative, and a cationized cellulose derivativeare preferred, and one or two or more members selected from the groupconsisting of a polymer or a copolymer of diallyl quaternary ammoniumsalt and a cationized cellulose derivative are more preferred, in viewof improving effects of soft feel upon rinsing or upon shampooing,smoothness and finger combability, styling ease upon drying andmoisture-retaining properties, and the stability of the part(s).

Preferred specific examples of the polymer or copolymer of diallylquaternary ammonium salt include dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloridepolymers (polyquaternium-6, for example, MERQUAT 100; Lubrizol AdvancedMaterials, Inc.), dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride/acrylic acidcopolymers (polyquaternium-22, for example, MERQUAT 280 and MERQUAT 295;Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc.), and dimethyl diallyl ammoniumchloride/acrylamide copolymers (polyquaternium-7, for example, MERQUAT550; Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc.).

Preferred specific examples of the quaternized polyvinylpyrrolidonederivative include polymers obtained by copolymerizing avinylpyrrolidone copolymer with dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate(polyquaternium 11, for example, GAFQUAT 734, GAFQUAT 755, and GAFQUAT755N (all from Ashland Inc.)).

Preferred specific examples of the cationized cellulose include polymersobtained by adding glycidyl trimethyl ammonium chloride tohydroxycellulose (polyquaternium 10, for example, LEOGARD G and LEOGARDGP (all from Lion Corporation), and Polymer JR-125, Polymer JR-400,Polymer JR-30M, Polymer LR-400, and Polymer LR-30M (all from AmercholCorp.)), and hydroxyethylcellulose dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride(polyquaternium-4, for example, CELCOAT H-100 and CELCOAT L-200 (allfrom Akzo Nobel N.V.)).

The content of the cationic polymer in the human hair fiber treatmentagent of the present invention is preferably 0.001% by mass or more,more preferably 0.01% by mass or more, further preferably 0.05% by massor more, and preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by massor less, in view of improving the feel of the treated human hair fibers.

The human hair fiber treatment agent of the present invention canfurther contain an antioxidant such as ascorbic acid; and a pH adjustersuch as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, phosphoric acid, orhydrochloric acid.

The pH of the human hair fiber treatment agent of the present inventionis preferably 6.0 or higher, more preferably 6.5 or higher, furtherpreferably 7.0 or higher, in view of improving penetration into thehuman hair fibers, and preferably 12.0 or lower, more preferably 11.5 orlower, further preferably 11.0 or lower, in view of suppressing humanhair fiber damage. The pH according to the present invention is a valuedetermined at 25° C.

Specifically, the pH of the human hair fiber treatment agent of thepresent invention is preferably 6.0 to 12.0, more preferably 6.5 to11.5, further preferably 7.0 to 11.0, in view of improving penetrationinto the human hair fibers and in view of suppressing human hair fiberdamage.

[Method for Treating Human Hair Fibers]

Human hair fibers can be treated by a method comprising the followingstep (i) using the human hair fiber treatment agent of the presentinvention, thereby imparting shape sustainability and high durability tothe human hair fibers:

(i) the step of immersing human hair fibers separated from the humanhead and artificially fixed at one part of the longitudinal direction inthe human hair fiber treatment agent of the present invention underheating.

In the step (i), the human hair fibers to be immersed in the human hairfiber treatment agent may be dry or wet. The amount of the human hairfiber treatment agent to immerse the human hair fibers is, in terms of abath ratio to the mass of the human hair fibers (the mass of the humanhair fiber treatment agent/the mass of the human hair fibers),preferably 2 or more, more preferably 3 or more, further preferably 5 ormore, still further preferably 10 or more, still further preferably 20or more, and preferably 500 or less, more preferably 250 or less,further preferably 100 or less.

Specifically, the bath ratio described above is preferably 2 to 500,more preferably 3 to 250, further preferably 5 to 100, still furtherpreferably 10 to 100, still further preferably 20 to 100.

In the step (i), the human hair fibers may be fixed with a curler or thelike in advance and subsequently immersed in the human hair fibertreatment agent of the present invention under heating. This can impartshape sustainability and high durability as well as the desired shape tothe human hair fibers.

The immersing of the human hair fibers in the human hair fiber treatmentagent in the step (i) is performed under heating, and this heating isperformed by warming the human hair fiber treatment agent. This heatingmay be performed by immersing the human hair fibers in the human hairfiber treatment agent while heating the human hair fiber treatmentagent, or may be performed by immersing the human hair fibers in thehuman hair fiber treatment agent having a low temperature, followed byheating. The temperature of the human hair fiber treatment agent ispreferably 50° C. or higher, more preferably 60° C. or higher, furtherpreferably 80° C. or higher, for increasing the interaction of thecomponent (A) and the component (B) with protein in the human hairfibers, and accelerating condensation reaction between the component (A)and the component (B) in the human hair fibers, thereby obtaining theadvantageous effects of the present invention, and preferably lower than100° C., more preferably 99° C. or lower, for preventing operability insubsequent steps from being reduced due to human hair fibers tangled bythe vigorous boiling of the treatment agent during heating.

The immersing time in the step (i) is appropriately selected dependingon the heating temperature used, and is preferably 15 minutes or longer,more preferably 30 minutes or longer, further preferably 1 hour orlonger, in view of allowing the human hair fiber treatment agent topenetrate and/or diffuse into the human hair fibers, and causingsufficient polymerization, and preferably 48 hours or shorter, morepreferably 24 hours or shorter, further preferably 12 hours or shorter,for suppressing human hair fiber damage.

The step (i) is preferably performed in an environment where theevaporation of moisture is suppressed. Specific examples of the approachof suppressing the evaporation of moisture include a method of coveringa container for the human hair fiber treatment agent with the human hairfibers immersed therein with a film-like substance, a cap, a lid, or thelike made of a material impermeable to water vapor.

After the step (i), the human hair fibers may or may not be rinsed, andare preferably rinsed in view of preventing the feel of the human hairfibers from being reduced due to redundant polymerization products.

These treatments allow the components (A) and (B) to penetrate into thehuman hair fibers, presumably causing their interaction with protein inthe human hair fibers. Also, a condensate of the component (A) and thecomponent (B) is formed in the human hair fibers. Hence, the human hairfibers treated by the method of the present invention do not lose shapeeven when cleansed.

After the step (i), the following step (ii) may be further performed andcan thereby further improve the shape sustainability of the human hairfibers:

(ii) the step of immersing the human hair fibers in a post-cross-linkingagent comprising the following components (D) and (C):

(D): at least one formaldehyde derivative selected from the groupconsisting of formaldehyde, formaldehyde hydrate, glyoxylic acid,glyoxylic acid hydrate, glyoxylate, glyoxal, glyoxal hydrate,glutaraldehyde, and glutaraldehyde hydrate; and

(C): water.

The content of the component (D) in the post-cross-linking agent ispreferably 0.01% by mass or more, more preferably 0.1% by mass or more,further preferably 1% by mass or more, and preferably 60% by mass orless, more preferably 40% by mass, further preferably 20% by mass orless.

Specifically, the content of the component (D) in the post-cross-linkingagent is preferably 0.01 to 60% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 40% bymass, further preferably 1 to 20% by mass.

The post-cross-linking agent can further contain a pH adjuster such assodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, phosphoric acid, hydrochloricacid, or an organic acid. On the other hand, preferably, thepost-cross-linking agent does not comprise the melamine derivative asthe component (B) or a resorcinol derivative as a component (E)mentioned later, in view of improving human hair fiber surface feel.

The pH of the post-cross-linking agent is preferably 6.0 or lower, morepreferably 5.0 or lower, further preferably 4.5 or lower, in view ofimproving penetration into the human hair fibers, and preferably 0 orhigher, more preferably 0.5 or higher, further preferably 1 or higher,in view of suppressing human hair fiber damage.

Specifically, the pH of the post-cross-linking agent is preferably 0 to6.0, more preferably 0.5 to 5.0, further preferably 1 to 4.5, in view ofimproving penetration into the human hair fibers and in view ofsuppressing human hair fiber damage.

The temperature of the post-cross-linking agent for use in the step (ii)is preferably 40° C. or higher, more preferably 60° C. or higher,further preferably 80° C. or higher, in view of increasing theinteraction of a condensate of the component (A) and the component (B)formed in the human hair fibers with protein in the human hair fibers,thereby enhancing the advantageous effects (shape sustainability andstrength) of the present invention, and preferably lower than 100° C.,more preferably 99° C. or lower, in view of preventing operability insubsequent steps from being reduced due to human hair fibers tangled bythe vigorous boiling of the treatment agent during heating.

In the step (ii), the human hair fibers to be immersed in thepost-cross-linking agent may be dry or wet. The amount of thepost-cross-linking agent to immerse the human hair fibers is, in termsof a bath ratio to the mass of the human hair fibers (the mass of thepost-cross-linking agent/the mass of the human hair fibers treated inthe step (i)), preferably 2 or more, more preferably 3 or more, furtherpreferably 5 or more, still further preferably 10 or more, still furtherpreferably 20 or more, and preferably 500 or less, more preferably 250or less, further preferably 100 or less.

Specifically, the bath ratio is preferably 2 to 500, more preferably 3to 250, further preferably 5 to 100, still further preferably 10 to 100,still further preferably 20 to 100.

In the step (ii), the immersing time of the human hair fiber in thepost-cross-linking agent is preferably 1 minute or longer, morepreferably 3 minutes or longer, further preferably 5 minutes or longer,and preferably 5 hours or shorter, more preferably 3 hours or shorter,further preferably 1 hour or shorter, for allowing thepost-cross-linking agent to penetrate and/or diffuse to the inside ofthe human hair fibers.

After the step (i) or (ii), the following step (iii) may be furtherperformed, and the step (iii) thus performed can thereby markedlyimprove human hair fiber surface feel:

(iii) the step of immersing the human hair fibers in a surface finishagent (I) comprising the following components (E) and (C):

(E): a resorcinol derivative represented by the formula (2):

wherein A¹ to A⁴ are the same or different and each represent a hydrogenatom, a hydroxy group, a halogen atom, a carboxyl group or a saltthereof, a sulfonic acid group or a salt thereof, a linear or branchedalkyl group or alkenyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or a linear orbranched alkoxy group or alkenyloxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms;and

(C): water.

In this case, preferred examples of the component (E) includeresorcinol, 2-methylresorcinol, 4-chlororesorcinol, and pyrogallol. Thecontent of the component (E) in the surface finish agent (I) ispreferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 2.5% by mass or more,further preferably 5% by mass or more, still further preferably 10% bymass or more, still further preferably 20% by mass or more, andpreferably 98% by mass or less, more preferably 97% by mass or less,further preferably 95% by mass or less, still further preferably 93% bymass or less, still further preferably 80% by mass or less, in view ofimproving human hair fiber surface feel.

The surface finish agent (I) can further contain a pH adjuster such assodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, phosphoric acid, hydrochloricacid, or an organic acid. On the other hand, preferably, the surfacefinish agent (I) does not comprise the melamine derivative as thecomponent (B) or the formaldehyde derivative as the component (D), inview of improving human hair fiber surface feel.

The pH of the surface finish agent (I) is preferably 7.0 or lower, morepreferably 6.8 or lower, further preferably 6.5 or lower, in view ofimproving penetration into the human hair fibers, and preferably 0 orhigher, more preferably 0.5 or higher, further preferably 1.0 or higher,in view of suppressing human hair fiber damage.

Specifically, the pH of the surface finish agent (I) is preferably 0 to7.0, more preferably 0.5 to 6.8, further preferably 1.0 to 6.5, in viewof improving penetration into the human hair fibers and in view ofsuppressing human hair fiber damage.

The temperature of the surface finish agent (I) for use in the step(iii) is preferably 0° C. or higher, more preferably 20° C. or higher,further preferably 40° C. or higher, and preferably 80° C. or lower,more preferably 60° C. or lower, in view of allowing the surface finishagent (I) to efficiently penetrate and/or diffuse to the inside of thehuman hair fibers and further enhancing the effect of improving feel.

In the step (iii), the human hair fibers to be immersed in the surfacefinish agent (I) may be dry or wet. The amount of the surface finishagent to immerse the human hair fibers is, in terms of a bath ratio tothe mass of the human hair fibers (the mass of the surface finish agent(I)/the mass of the human hair fibers), preferably 2 or more, morepreferably 3 or more, further preferably 5 or more, still furtherpreferably 10 or more, still further preferably 20 or more, andpreferably 500 or less, more preferably 250 or less, further preferably100 or less.

Specifically, the bath ratio is preferably 2 to 500, more preferably 3to 250, further preferably 5 to 100, still further preferably 10 to 100,still further preferably 20 to 100.

The immersing time of the human hair fibers in the surface finish agent(I) in the step (iii) is preferably 1 hour or longer, more preferably 3hours or longer, further preferably 6 hours or longer, still furtherpreferably 24 hours or longer, and preferably 1 month or shorter, morepreferably 2 weeks or shorter, further preferably 10 days or shorter,still further preferably 168 hours or shorter, for allowing the surfacefinish agent (I) to penetrate and/or diffuse into the human hair fibers.

[Optional Treatment to be Further Added]

The method for treating human hair fibers according to the presentinvention may additionally comprise one or more treatments selected fromthe group consisting of bleaching, hair dyeing, and surface finish forhydrophobization and/or reduction in friction, in addition to the steps(i) to (iii) mentioned above.

In this respect, each treatment of bleaching and hair dyeing may beperformed before or after the steps (i) to (iii) mentioned above or maybe performed between the steps among the steps (i) to (iii). Also, aplurality of treatments may be added in combination. Any of thetreatments may be performed first, except that the bleaching needs to beperformed before the hair dyeing in the case of adding both bleachingand hair dyeing. A different treatment may be performed between thebleaching and the hair dyeing.

On the other hand, the surface finish for hydrophobization and/orreduction in friction needs to be performed after the step (i) mentionedabove, or to be performed after the step (ii) when performed incombination with treatment with the post-cross-linking agent in the step(ii), or to be performed after the step (iii) when further performed incombination with surface finish for improvement in feel in the step(iii). Among others, the surface finish for hydrophobization and/orreduction in friction additionally performed after the step (iii) canproduce more favorable results. The surface finish for hydrophobizationand/or reduction in friction is not particularly limited by the order oftreatments also including bleaching and hair dyeing as long as thesurface finish is performed at a stage after the step (i), (ii) or (iii)as described above.

(Bleaching)

The bleaching is performed by immersing the human hair fibers in ableach composition containing an alkali agent, an oxidizing agent andwater. The bleach composition is usually of two-part type. The firstpart contains the alkali agent and water, and the second part containsthe oxidizing agent and water. These two parts are usually storedseparately and mixed before immersing of human hair fibers.

Preferred examples of the alkali agent include, but are not limited to:ammonia and salts thereof; alkanolamines (monoethanolamine,isopropanolamine, 2-amino-2-methylpropanol, 2-aminobutanol, etc.) andsalts thereof; alkanediamines (1,3-propanediamine, etc.) and saltsthereof; and carbonates (guanidine carbonate, sodium carbonate,potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, etc.);and mixtures thereof.

The content of the alkali agent in the bleach composition (in the caseof two-part type, in a mixture of the first part and the second part) ispreferably 0.1% by mass or more, more preferably 0.5% by mass or more,further preferably 1% by mass or more, and preferably 15% by mass orless, more preferably 10% by mass or less, further preferably 7.5% bymass or less.

Preferred examples of the oxidizing agent include, but are not limitedto, hydrogen peroxide, urea peroxide, melamine peroxide and sodiumbromate. Among these oxidizing agents, hydrogen peroxide is preferred.

The content of the oxidizing agent in the bleach composition ispreferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 2% by mass or more, andpreferably 15% by mass or less, more preferably 12% by mass or less,further preferably 9% by mass or less.

In the case of separately storing the first part and the second part, pHat 25° C. of the second part is preferably 2 or higher, more preferably2.5 or higher, and preferably 6 or lower, more preferably 4 or lower.This pH can be adjusted with a suitable buffer. pH at 25° C. of thebleach composition is preferably 6 or higher, more preferably 6.5 orhigher, further preferably 6.8 or higher, and preferably 11 or lower,more preferably 10.5 or lower, further preferably 10 or lower.

(Hair Dyeing)

The hair dyeing is performed by immersing the human hair fibers in ahair dye composition. The hair dye composition contains a dye and canoptionally contain an alkali agent or an acid, an oxidizing agent, orthe like. Examples of the dye include direct dyes, oxidizing dyes andcombinations thereof.

The type of the direct dye is not particularly limited, and an arbitrarydirect dye suitable for hair dyeing can be used. Examples of the directdye include anionic dyes, nitro dyes, disperse dyes, cationic dyes, anddyes having an azophenol structure, selected from the group consistingof the following HC Red 18, HC Blue 18 and HC Yellow 16, and saltsthereof, and mixtures thereof.

Examples of the cationic dye include, but are not limited to, Basic Blue6, Basic Blue 7, Basic Blue 9, Basic Blue 26, Basic Blue 41, Basic Blue99, Basic Brown 4, Basic Brown 16, Basic Brown 17, Natural Brown 7,Basic Green 1, Basic Orange 31, Basic Red 2, Basic Red 12, Basic Red 22,Basic Red 51, Basic Red 76, Basic Violet 1, Basic Violet 2, Basic Violet3, Basic Violet 10, Basic Violet 14, Basic Yellow 57 and Basic Yellow 87and mixtures thereof. Basic Red 51, Basic Orange 31, Basic Yellow 87 andmixtures thereof are particularly preferred.

Examples of the anionic dye include, but are not limited to, Acid Black1, Acid Blue 1, Acid Blue 3, Food Blue 5, Acid Blue 7, Acid Blue 9, AcidBlue 74, Acid Orange 3, Acid Orange 4, Acid Orange 6, Acid Orange 7,Acid Orange 10, Acid Red 1, Acid Red 14, Acid Red 18, Acid Red 27, AcidRed 33, Acid Red 50, Acid Red 52, Acid Red 73, Acid Red 87, Acid Red 88,Acid Red 92, Acid Red 155, Acid Red 180, Acid Violet 2, Acid Violet 9,Acid Violet 43, Acid Violet 49, Acid Yellow 1, Acid Yellow 10, AcidYellow 23, Acid Yellow 3, Food Yellow No. 8, D&C Brown No. 1, D&C GreenNo. 5, D&C Green No. 8, D&C Orange No. 4, D&C Orange No. 10, D&C OrangeNo. 11, D&C Red No. 21, D&C Red No. 27, D&C Red No. 33, D&C Violet 2,D&C Yellow No. 7, D&C Yellow No. 8, D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Red 2, FD&CRed 40, FD&C Red No. 4, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue 1, Food Black 1,Food Black 2, and alkali metal salts (sodium salt, potassium salt, etc.)thereof and mixtures thereof.

Among them, the anionic dye is Acid Black 1, Acid Red 52, Acid Violet 2,Acid Violet 43, Acid Red 33, Acid Orange 4, Acid Orange 7, Acid Red 27,Acid Yellow 3 and Acid Yellow 10, and salts thereof. The anionic dye ismore preferably Acid Red 52, Acid Violet 2, Acid Red 33, Acid Orange 4and Acid Yellow 10, and salts thereof and mixtures thereof.

Examples of the nitro dye include, but are not limited to, HC Blue No.2, HC Blue No. 4, HC Blue No. 5, HC Blue No. 6, HC Blue No. 7, HC BlueNo. 8, HC Blue No. 9, HC Blue No. 10, HC Blue No. 11, HC Blue No. 12, HCBlue No. 13, HC Brown No. 1, HC Brown No. 2, HC Green No. 1, HC OrangeNo. 1, HC Orange No. 2, HC Orange No. 3, HC Orange No. 5, HC Red BN, HCRed No. 1, HC Red No. 3, HC Red No. 7, HC Red No. 8, HC Red No. 9, HCRed No. 10, HC Red No. 11, HC Red No. 13, HC Red No. 54, HC Red No. 14,HC Violet BS, HC Violet No. 1, HC Violet No. 2, HC Yellow No. 2, HCYellow No. 4, HC Yellow No. 5, HC Yellow No. 6, HC Yellow No. 7, HCYellow No. 8, HC Yellow No. 9, HC Yellow No. 10, HC Yellow No. 11, HCYellow No. 12, HC Yellow No. 13, HC Yellow No. 14, HC Yellow No. 15,2-amino-6-chloro-4-nitrophenol, picramic acid,1,2-diamino-4-nitrobenzole, 1,4-diamino-2-nitrobenzole,3-nitro-4-aminophenol, 1-hydroxy-2-amino-3-nitrobenzole and2-hydroxyethylpicramic acid and mixtures thereof.

Examples of the disperse dye include, but are not limited to, DisperseBlue 1, Disperse Black 9 and Disperse Violet 1 and mixtures thereof.

These direct dyes can be used alone or in combination of two or morethereof, and direct dyes differing in ionicity may be used incombination.

The content of the direct dye in the hair dye composition is preferably0.001% by mass or more, more preferably 0.01% by mass or more, furtherpreferably 0.05% by mass or more, in view of obtaining sufficient hairdyeing properties, and preferably 10% by mass or less, more preferably7.5% by mass or less, further preferably 5.0% by mass or less, furtherpreferably 3.0% by mass or less, in view of blendability.

When the hair dye composition contains only a direct dye as the dye, nooxidizing agent is necessary for dyeing human hair fibers. In the caseof lightening the color of human hair fibers, the composition maycontain an oxidizing agent.

When the hair dye composition contains an oxidizing dye, the hair dyecomposition is usually of two-part type. The first part contains anoxidizing dye intermediate (precursor and coupler) and an alkali agent,and the second part contains an oxidizing agent such as hydrogenperoxide. These two parts are usually stored separately and mixed beforeimmersing of human hair fibers.

The oxidizing dye intermediate is not particularly limited, and anyknown precursor and coupler usually used in hair dyeing products can besuitably used.

Examples of the precursor include, but are not limited to,paraphenylenediamine, toluene-2,5-diamine,2-chloro-paraphenylenediamine, N-methoxyethyl-paraphenylenediamine,N-phenylparaphenylenediamine,N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-paraphenylenediamine,2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-paraphenylenediamine,2,6-dimethyl-paraphenylenediamine, 4,4′-diaminodiphenylamine,1,3-bis(N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-(4-aminophenyl)amino)-2-propanol,PEG-3,3,2′-paraphenylenediamine, paraaminophenol, paramethylaminophenol,3-methyl-4-aminophenol, 2-aminomethyl-4-aminophenol,2-(2-hydroxyethylaminomethyl)-4-aminophenol, orthoaminophenol,2-amino-5-methylphenol, 2-amino-6-methylphenol,2-amino-5-acetamidophenol, 3,4-diaminobenzoic acid, 5-aminosalicylicacid, 2,4,5,6-tetraaminopyrimidine, 2,5,6-triamino-4-hydroxypyrimidine,4,5-diamino-1-(4′-chlorobenzyl)pyrazole,4,5-diamino-1-hydroxyethylpyrazole, and salts of these substances andmixtures thereof.

Examples of the coupler include, but are not limited to,metaphenylenediamine, 2,4-diaminophenoxyethanol,2-amino-4-(2-hydroxyethylamino)anisole, 2,4-diamino-5-methylphenetole,2,4-diamino-5-(2-hydroxyethoxy)toluene,2,4-dimethoxy-1,3-diaminobenzene, 2,6-bis(2-hydroxyethylamino)toluene,2,4-diamino-5-fluorotoluene, 1,3-bis(2,4-diaminophenoxy)propane,metaaminophenol, 2-methyl-5-aminophenol,2-methyl-5-(2-hydroxyethylamino)phenol, 2,4-dichloro-3-aminophenol,2-chloro-3-amino-6-methylphenol, 2-methyl-4-chloro-5-aminophenol,N-cyclopentyl-metaaminophenol,2-methyl-4-methoxy-5-(2-hydroxyethylamino)phenol,2-methyl-4-fluoro-5-aminophenol, paraaminoorthocresol, resorcinol,2-methylresorcinol, 4-chlororesorcinol, 1-naphthol,1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene, 1,7-dihydroxynaphthalene,2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene, 2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol, 4-hydroxyindole,5-hydroxyindole, 6-hydroxyindole, 7-hydroxyindole,6-hydroxybenzomorpholine, 3,4-methylenedioxyphenol,2-bromo-4,5-methylenedioxyphenol, 3,4-methylenedioxyaniline,1-(2-hydroxyethyl)amino-3,4-methylenedioxybenzene,2,6-dihydroxy-3,4-dimethylpyridine, 2,6-dimethoxy-3,5-diaminopyridine,2,3-diamino-6-methoxypyridine, 2-methylamino-3-amino-6-methoxypyridine,2-amino-3-hydroxypyridine, 2,6-diaminopyridine, and salts of thesesubstances and mixtures thereof.

The content of each of the precursor and the coupler in the hair dyecomposition is preferably 0.01% by mass or more, more preferably 0.1% bymass or more, and preferably 10% by mass or less, more preferably 7.5%by mass or less, further preferably 5% by mass or less.

The hair dye composition containing an oxidizing dye further contains analkali agent. Preferred examples of the alkali agent include, but arenot limited to: ammonia and salts thereof; alkanolamines(monoethanolamine, isopropanolamine, 2-amino-2-methylpropanol,2-aminobutanol, etc.) and salts thereof; alkanediamines(1,3-propanediamine, etc.) and salts thereof; and carbonates (guanidinecarbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate,potassium bicarbonate, etc.); and mixtures thereof.

The content of the alkali agent in the hair dye composition ispreferably 0.1% by mass or more, more preferably 0.5% by mass or more,further preferably 1% by mass or more, and preferably 15% by mass orless, more preferably 10% by mass or less, further preferably 7.5% bymass or less.

When the hair dye composition contains an oxidizing dye, the composition(second part) containing the oxidizing agent is stored separately fromthe composition (first part) containing the oxidizing dye, and mixedtherewith before immersing of human hair fibers. Preferred examples ofthe oxidizing agent include, but are not limited to, hydrogen peroxide,urea peroxide, melamine peroxide and sodium bromate. Among theseoxidizing agents, hydrogen peroxide is preferred.

The content of the oxidizing agent in the hair dye composition ispreferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 2% by mass or more, andpreferably 15% by mass or less, more preferably 12% by mass or less,further preferably 9% by mass or less.

In the case of separately storing the first part and the second part, pHat 25° C. of the second part is preferably 2 or higher, more preferably2.5 or higher, and preferably 6 or lower, more preferably 4 or lower.This pH can be adjusted with a suitable buffer. pH at 25° C. of the hairdye composition prepared by mixing the first part and the second part ispreferably 6 or higher, more preferably 6.5 or higher, furtherpreferably 6.8 or higher, and preferably 11 or lower, more preferably10.5 or lower, further preferably 10 or lower.

The hair dye composition containing an oxidizing dye may further containthe direct dye listed above.

The hair dye composition can preferably further contain a surfactant, aconditioning component, or the like given below, and can preferably bein any of solution, emulsion, cream, paste and mousse forms.

The temperature of the hair dye composition is preferably 0° C. orhigher, more preferably 10° C. or higher, further preferably 20° C. orhigher, and preferably 90° C. or lower, more preferably 80° C. or lower,in view of allowing the hair dye composition to efficiently penetrateand/or diffuse to the inside of the human hair fibers, and furtherenhancing the effects of hair dyeing.

(Surface Finish for Hydrophobization and/or Reduction in Friction)

The surface finish for hydrophobization and/or reduction in friction isperformed by immersing the human hair fibers in a surface finish agent(II) given below at a stage after the step (i) mentioned above, or at astate after the step (ii) when treatment with the post-cross-linkingagent in the step (ii) is performed, or at a stage after the step (iii)when surface finish for improvement in feel in the step (iii) isperformed.

The surface finish agent (II) contains the following component (F), andwater:

(F) an epoxyaminosilane copolymer which is a reaction product of thefollowing compounds (a) to (d):

(a) polysiloxane having at least two oxiranyl groups or oxetanyl groups;

(b) polyether having at least two oxiranyl groups or oxetanyl groups;

(c) aminopropyltrialkoxysilane: and

(d) a compound selected from the group consisting of the followingprimary and secondary amines:

primary amine: methylamine, ethylamine, propyleneamine, ethanolamine,isopropylamine, butylamine, isobutylamine, hexylamine, dodecylamine,oleylamine, aniline, aminopropyltrimethylsilane,aminopropyltriethylsilane, aminomorpholine, aminopropyldiethylamine,benzylamine, naphthylamine, 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole,1-aminoheptafluorohexane, and2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-pentadecafluoro-1-octanamine; andsecondary amine: methylethylamine, methyloctadecylamine, diethanolamine,dibenzylamine, dihexylamine, dicyclohexylamine, piperidine, pyrrolidinephthalimide, and polymer amine.

[Component (F): Epoxyaminosilane Copolymer]

The epoxyaminosilane copolymer as the component (F) is a reactionproduct of the following compounds (a) to (d).

<Compounds (a) and (b)>

The compound (a) is polysiloxane containing at least two oxiranyl groupsor oxetanyl groups. Examples thereof include compounds represented bythe following formula (5):

wherein R represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms andterminally having an oxiranyl group or an oxetanyl group, and optionallycontaining a heteroatom; and x represents a number of 1 to 1,000.

The compound (b) is polyether containing at least two oxiranyl groups oroxetanyl groups. Examples thereof include compounds represented by thefollowing formula (6):

wherein R is as defined above; y represents a number of 1 to 100; zrepresents a number of 0 to 100; and y+z is 1 to 200.

In the formulas (5) and (6), the heteroatom optionally contained in R ispreferably an oxygen atom. Examples of R include an oxiranylmethyl group(glycidyl group), an oxiranylmethoxy group (glycidyloxy group), anoxiranylmethoxypropyl group (glycidyloxypropyl group), an oxetanylmethylgroup, an oxetanylmethoxy group, an oxetanylmethoxypropyl group, and a3-ethyloxetanylmethyl group. Among them, a hydrocarbon group having 1 to4 carbon atoms and having an oxiranyl group, and optionally containing ahetero oxygen atom is preferred, and at least one member selected fromthe group consisting of an oxiranylmethyl group (glycidyl group), anoxiranylmethoxy group (glycidyloxy group), and an oxiranylmethoxypropylgroup (glycidyloxypropyl group) is further preferred.

<Compound (c)>

The compound (c) is aminopropyltrialkoxysilane. Examples of the alkoxygroup in the compound (c) include alkoxy groups having 1 to 6 carbonatoms. An alkoxy group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, further preferably analkoxy group having 3 carbon atoms, is preferred. Among them, anisopropoxy group is preferred. Examples of the compound (c) includeaminopropyltrimethoxysilane, aminopropyltriethoxysilane,aminopropyltripropoxysilane, aminopropyltriisopropoxysilane,aminopropyltributoxysilane, and aminopropyl tri-tert-butoxysilane. Amongthem, aminopropyltriisopropoxysilane is preferred. Any of thesecompounds (c) can be used alone or in combination of two or morethereof.

<Compound (d)>

The compound (d) is a compound selected from the group consisting of thefollowing primary and secondary amines:

primary amine: methylamine, ethylamine, propyleneamine, ethanolamine,isopropylamine, butylamine, isobutylamine, hexylamine, dodecylamine,oleylamine, aniline, aminopropyltrimethylsilane,aminopropyltriethylsilane, aminomorpholine, aminoethyldimethylamine,aminoethyldiethylamine, aminoethyldibutylamine,aminopropyldimethylamine, aminopropyldiethylamine,aminopropyldibutylamine, benzylamine, naphthylamine,3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole, 1-aminoheptafluorohexane, and2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-pentadecafluoro-1-octanamine; and

secondary amine: methylethylamine, methyloctadecylamine, diethanolamine,dibenzylamine, dihexylamine, dicyclohexylamine, piperidine, pyrrolidinephthalimide, and polymer amine.

Among them, primary amine is preferred, and at least one member selectedfrom the group consisting of aminopropyldiethylamine,aminopropyldimethylamine, and aminopropyldibutylamine is furtherpreferred. Any of these compounds (d) can be used alone or incombination of two or more thereof.

The reaction of the compounds (a) to (d) is performed, for example, byrefluxing these compounds for a given time in a solvent such asisopropanol. In this context, the molar ratio of the oxiranyl groups orthe oxetanyl groups of the compounds (a) and (b) to the amino group ofthe compound (c) is preferably 1 or more, more preferably 1.1 or more,further preferably 1.2 or more, and preferably 4 or less, morepreferably 3.9 or less, further preferably 3.8 or less.

Examples of the component (F) include compounds under INCI name ofpolysilicone-29. Examples of a commercially available product thereofinclude Silsoft CLX-E from Momentive Performance Materials, Inc. (activecomponent: 15% by mass, containing dipropylene glycol and water).

The content of the component (F) in the surface finish agent (II) ispreferably 0.01% by mass or more, more preferably 0.05% by mass or more,further preferably 0.10% by mass or more, further preferably 0.20% bymass or more, and preferably 5.00% by mass or less, more preferably4.00% by mass or less, further preferably 3.00° by mass or less, furtherpreferably 2.00° by mass or less, in view of imparting sufficienthydrophobicity to the human hair fibers.

[pH Adjuster]

pH at 25° C. of the surface finish agent (II) is preferably in a rangegiven below in view of enhancing the reaction rate of thetrialkoxysilane moiety of the component (F) in an acidic region or abasic region. When the surface finish agent (II) has a pH in an acidicregion, pH is preferably 1 or higher, more preferably 1.5 or higher,further preferably 2 or higher, and preferably 5 or lower, morepreferably 4.0 or lower, further preferably 3.5 or lower. When thesurface finish agent (II) has a pH in a basic region, pH is preferably 7or higher, more preferably 7.5 or higher, further preferably 8.0 orhigher, and preferably 11 or lower, more preferably 10.5 or lower,further preferably 10 or lower. In order to adjust pH of the surfacefinish agent (II) to the range described above, the surface finish agent(II) can appropriately contain a pH adjuster. Examples of the pHadjuster that can be used include alkali agents including: alkanolaminessuch as monoethanolamine, isopropanolamine, 2-amino-2-methylpropanol,and 2-aminobutanol, or salts thereof; alkanediamines such as1,3-propanediamine, or salts thereof; carbonates such as guanidinecarbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate,and potassium bicarbonate; and hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide andpotassium hydroxide. Also, inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid andphosphoric acid; hydrochlorides such as monoethanolamine hydrochloride;phosphates such as monopotassium dihydrogen phosphate, and disodiumhydrogen phosphate; and organic acids such as lactic acid and malic acidcan be used as acid agents.

The amount of the surface finish agent (II) to immerse the human hairfibers is, in terms of a bath ratio to the mass of the human hair fibers(the mass of the surface finish agent (II)/the mass of the human hairfibers), preferably 2 or more, more preferably 5 or more, furtherpreferably 10 or more, and preferably 100 or less, more preferably 50 orless, further preferably 20 or less.

The treatment of the human hair fibers by the method for treating humanhair fibers described above can produce a wig or a tress which isexcellent in shape sustainability and durability while retaining thenatural appearance of human hair.

The treatment of the human hair fibers by the method for treating humanhair fibers according to the present invention can produce human hairfibers for hair extensions which are excellent in shape sustainabilityand durability while retaining the natural appearance of human hair.Also, hair extensions can be produced using the fibers.

The following aspects are preferred for the treatment agent capable ofproducing a wig or a tress which is excellent in shape sustainabilityand durability while retaining the natural appearance and good feel ofhuman hair, and a treatment method using the treatment agent.

[Treatment Agent 1]

A human hair fiber treatment agent for treating human hair fibersseparated from the human head and artificially fixed at one part of thelongitudinal direction, wherein the human hair fiber treatment agentcomprises the following components (A) to (C) in the formulation thereofand has pH of 7.0 to 11:

(A) 1.5 to 15% by mass of formaldehyde;

(B) 4.2 to 42% by mass of melamine; and

(C) a balance of water.

[Treatment Agent Kit 1]

A human hair fiber treatment agent kit for treating human hair fibersseparated from the human head and artificially fixed at one part of thelongitudinal direction, wherein the human hair fiber treatment agent kitcomprises the treatment agent 1 and a post-cross-linking agent having pHof 1.0 to 4.5, and the post-cross-linking agent comprises the followingcomponents (D) and (C):

(D) 1 to 20% by mass of glyoxylic acid or formaldehyde; and

(C) a balance of water.

[Treatment Agent Kit 1′]

A human hair fiber treatment agent kit, wherein the treatment agent kit1 further comprises a surface finish agent comprising the followingcomponents (E) and (C) having pH of 1.0 to 6.5:

(E) 20 to 60% by mass of resorcinol; and

(C) a balance of water.

[Treatment Method 1]

A method for treating human hair fibers, comprising the following step(i):

(i) the step of immersing human hair fibers separated from the humanhead and artificially fixed at one part of the longitudinal direction ina human hair fiber treatment agent under heating of 90 to 99° C. for 1to 3 hours at a bath ratio of (human hair fiber treatment agentmass)/(human hair fiber mass)=20 to 100, wherein

the human hair fiber treatment agent comprises the following components(A) to (C) in the formulation thereof and has pH of 7.0 to 11.0:

(A) 1.5 to 15% by mass of formaldehyde;

(B) 4.2 to 42% by mass of melamine; and

(C) a balance of water.

[Treatment Method 1′]

The method for treating human hair fibers, wherein the treatment method1 further comprises the following step (ii) after the step (i):

(ii) the step of immersing the human hair fibers treated in the step (i)in a post-cross-linking agent at a temperature of 90 to 99° C. for 1 to3 hours at a bath ratio of (post-cross-linking agent mass)/(the mass ofthe human hair fibers treated in the step (i))=20 to 100, wherein

the post-cross-linking agent comprises the following components (D) and(C) and has pH of 1.0 to 4.5:

(D) 1 to 20% by mass of glyoxylic acid or formaldehyde; and

(C) a balance of water.

[Treatment Method 1″]

The method for treating human hair fibers, wherein the treatment method1′ further comprises the following step (iii) after the step (ii):

(iii) the step of immersing the human hair fibers treated in the step(ii) in a surface finish agent (I) at a temperature of 20 to 90° C. for24 to 168 hours at a bath ratio of (the mass of the surface finish agent(I))/(the mass of the human hair fibers treated in the step (ii))=20 to100, wherein

the surface finish agent (I) comprises the following components (E) and(C) and has pH of 1.0 to 6.5:

(E) 20 to 60% by mass of resorcinol; and

(C) a balance of water.

Hereinafter, preferred aspects of the present invention will be furtherdisclosed as to the embodiments mentioned above.

<1>

A human hair fiber treatment agent for treating human hair fibersseparated from the human head and artificially fixed at one part of thelongitudinal direction, wherein the human hair fiber treatment agentcomprises the following components (A) to (C) in the formulationthereof, and the content of the component (A) is 1% by mass or more:

(A): formaldehyde or a hydrate thereof;

(B): a melamine derivative represented by the formula (1):

wherein R¹ to R³ are the same or different and each represent a hydrogenatom, a hydroxymethylamino group, a hydroxy group, a halogen atom, aphenyl group, a linear or branched alkyl group or alkenyl group having 1or more and 6 or less carbon atoms, or a linear or branched alkoxy groupor alkenyloxy group having 1 or more and 6 or less carbon atoms; and

(C): water.

<2>

The human hair fiber treatment agent according to <1>, wherein thecontent of the component (A) is preferably 2.5% by mass or more, morepreferably 5% by mass or more, and preferably 60% by mass or less, morepreferably 50% by mass or less, further preferably 40% by mass or less,still further preferably 35% by mass or less, still further preferably30% by mass or less.

<3>

The human hair fiber treatment agent according to <1> or <2>, whereinthe component (B) is preferably at least one member selected from thegroup consisting of melamine and trimethylolmelamine, more preferablymelamine.

<4>

The human hair fiber treatment agent according to any one of <1> to <3>,wherein the content of the component (B) is preferably 0.1% by mass ormore, more preferably 1% by mass or more, further preferably 2.5% bymass or more, still further preferably 5% by mass or more, andpreferably 60% by mass or less, more preferably 50% by mass or less,further preferably 40% by mass or less, still further preferably 35° bymass or less, still further preferably 30° by mass or less.

<5>

The human hair fiber treatment agent according to any one of <1> to <4>,wherein the molar ratio of the component (A) to the component (B),(A)/(B), is preferably 0.005 or more, more preferably 0.01 or more,further preferably 0.05 or more, still further preferably 0.1 or more,still further preferably 0.5 or more, still further preferably 0.75 ormore, and preferably less than 5, more preferably 4 or less, furtherpreferably 3 or less, still further preferably 2.5 or less, stillfurther preferably 2 or less, still further preferably 1.75 or less,still further preferably 1.5 or less.

<6>

The human hair fiber treatment agent according to any one of <1> to <5>,wherein the content of the component (C) is preferably 10% by mass ormore, more preferably 20% by mass or more, further preferably 30% bymass or more, still further preferably 40% by mass or more, andpreferably 99% by mass or less, more preferably 97% by mass or less,further preferably 95% by mass or less, still further preferably 90° bymass or less.

<7>

The human hair fiber treatment agent according to any one of <1> to <6>,preferably further comprising glutaraldehyde.

<8>

The human hair fiber treatment agent according to <7>, wherein thecontent of the glutaraldehyde is preferably 0.001% by mass or more, morepreferably 0.05% by mass or more, further preferably 0.1% by mass ormore, still further preferably 0.5% by mass or more, still furtherpreferably 1.0% by mass or more, and preferably 30% by mass or less,more preferably 20° by mass or less, further preferably 15% by mass orless, still further preferably 10% by mass or less, still furtherpreferably 5% by mass or less.

<9>

The human hair fiber treatment agent according to any one of <1> to <8>,wherein pH at 25° C. is preferably 6.0 or more, more preferably 6.5 ormore, further preferably 7.0 or more, and preferably 12.0 or less, morepreferably 11.5 or less, further preferably 11.0 or less.

<10>

A method for treating human hair fibers, comprising the following step(i):

(i) the step of immersing human hair fibers separated from the humanhead and artificially fixed at one part of the longitudinal direction ina human hair fiber treatment agent according to any of <1> to <9> underheating.

<11>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to <10>, wherein thebath ratio (human hair fiber treatment agent mass)/(human hair fibermass) in immersing the human hair fibers in the human hair fibertreatment agent is preferably 2 or more, more preferably 3 or more,further preferably 5 or more, still further preferably 10 or more, stillfurther preferably 20 or more, and preferably 500 or less, morepreferably 250 or less, further preferably 100 or less.

<12>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to <10> or <11>,wherein the temperature of the human hair fiber treatment agent toimmerse the human hair fibers is preferably 50° C. or higher, morepreferably 60° C. or higher, further preferably 80° C. or higher, andpreferably lower than 100° C., more preferably 99° C. or lower.

<13>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <10>to <12>, wherein the immersing time of the human hair fibers in thehuman hair fiber treatment agent is preferably 15 minutes or longer,more preferably 30 minutes or longer, further preferably 1 hour orlonger, and preferably 48 hours or shorter, more preferably 24 hours orshorter, further preferably 12 hours or shorter.

<14>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <10>to <13>, preferably further comprising the following step (ii) after thestep (i):

(ii) the step of immersing the human hair fibers in a post-cross-linkingagent comprising the following components (D) and (C):

(D): at least one formaldehyde derivative selected from the groupconsisting of formaldehyde, formaldehyde hydrate, glyoxylic acid,glyoxylic acid hydrate, glyoxylate, glyoxal, glyoxal hydrate,glutaraldehyde, and glutaraldehyde hydrate; and

(C): water.

<15>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to <14>, wherein thecontent of the component (D) in the post-cross-linking agent ispreferably 0.01% by mass or more, more preferably 0.1% by mass or more,further preferably 1% by mass or more, and preferably 60% by mass orless, more preferably 40% by mass, further preferably 20% by mass orless.

<16>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to <14> or <15>,wherein the pH at 25° C. of the post-cross-linking agent is preferably6.0 or lower, more preferably 5.0 or lower, further preferably 4.5 orlower, and preferably 0 or higher, more preferably 0.5 or higher,further preferably 1 or higher.

<17>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <14>to <16>, wherein the temperature of the post-cross-linking agent ispreferably 40° C. or higher, more preferably 60° C. or higher, furtherpreferably 80° C. or higher, and preferably lower than 100° C., morepreferably 99° C. or lower.

<18>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <14>to <17>, wherein the bath ratio (the mass of the post-cross-linkingagent/the mass of the human hair fibers treated in the step (i)) inimmersing the human hair fibers in the post-cross-linking agent ispreferably 2 or more, more preferably 3 or more, further preferably 5 ormore, still further preferably 10 or more, still further preferably 20or more, and preferably 500 or less, more preferably 250 or less,further preferably 100 or less.

<19>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <14>to <18>, wherein the immersing time of the human hair fibers in thepost-cross-linking agent is preferably 1 minute or longer, morepreferably 3 minutes or longer, further preferably 5 minutes or longer,and preferably 5 hours or shorter, more preferably 3 hours or shorter,further preferably 1 hour or shorter.

<20>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <10>to <19>, preferably further comprising the following step (iii) afterthe step (i) or (ii):

(iii) the step of immersing the human hair fibers in a surface finishagent (I) comprising the following components (E) and (C):

(E): a resorcinol derivative represented by the formula (2):

wherein

A¹ to A⁴ are the same or different and each represent a hydrogen atom, ahydroxy group, a halogen atom, a carboxyl group or a salt thereof, asulfonic acid group or a salt thereof, a linear or branched alkyl groupor alkenyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or a linear or branchedalkoxy group or alkenyloxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms; and

(C): water.

<21>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to <20>, wherein thecomponent (E) is one or more members selected from the group consistingof resorcinol, 2-methylresorcinol, 4-chlororesorcinol and pyrogallol.

<22>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to <20> or <21>,wherein the content of the component (E) in the surface finish agent (I)is preferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 2.5% by mass or more,further preferably 5% by mass or more, still further preferably 10% bymass or more, still further preferably 20% by mass or more, andpreferably 98% by mass or less, more preferably 97% by mass or less,further preferably 95% by mass or less, still further preferably 93% bymass or less, still further preferably 80% by mass or less.

<23>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <20>to <22>, wherein the pH at 25° C. of the surface finish agent (I) ispreferably 7.0 or lower, more preferably 6.8 or lower, furtherpreferably 6.5 or lower, and preferably 0 or higher, more preferably 0.5or higher, further preferably 1.0 or higher.

<24>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <20>to <23>, wherein the temperature of the surface finish agent (I) ispreferably 0° C. or higher, more preferably 20° C. or higher, furtherpreferably 40° C. or higher, and preferably 80° C. or lower, morepreferably 60° C. or lower.

<25>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <20>to <24>, wherein the bath ratio (the mass of the surface finishagent/the mass of the human hair fibers) in immersing the human hairfibers in the surface finish agent (I) is preferably 2 or more, morepreferably 3 or more, further preferably 5 or more, still furtherpreferably 10 or more, still further preferably 20 or more, andpreferably 500 or less, more preferably 250 or less, further preferably100 or less.

<26>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <20>to <25>, wherein the immersing time of the human hair fibers in thesurface finish agent (I) is preferably 1 hour or longer, more preferably3 hours or longer, further preferably 6 hours or longer, still furtherpreferably 24 hours or longer, and preferably 1 month or shorter, morepreferably 2 weeks or shorter, further preferably 10 days or shorter,still further preferably 168 hours or shorter.

<27>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <10>to <26>, preferably further comprising the following step (iv) after thestep (i), (ii) or (iii):

(iv) the step of immersing the human hair fibers in a surface finishagent (II) comprising the following components (F) and (C):

(F): an epoxyaminosilane copolymer which is a reaction product of thefollowing compounds (a) to (d):

(a) polysiloxane having at least two oxiranyl groups or oxetanyl groups;

(b) polyether having at least two oxiranyl groups or oxetanyl groups;

(c) aminopropyltrialkoxysilane: and

(d) a compound selected from the group consisting of the followingprimary and secondary amines:

primary amine: methylamine, ethylamine, propyleneamine, ethanolamine,isopropylamine, butylamine, isobutylamine, hexylamine, dodecylamine,oleylamine, aniline, aminopropyltrimethylsilane,aminopropyltriethylsilane, aminomorpholine, aminopropyldiethylamine,benzylamine, naphthylamine, 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole,1-aminoheptafluorohexane, and2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-pentadecafluoro-1-octanamine; andsecondary amine: methylethylamine, methyloctadecylamine, diethanolamine,dibenzylamine, dihexylamine, dicyclohexylamine, piperidine, pyrrolidinephthalimide, and polymer amine; and

(C): water.

<28>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to <27>, wherein thecomponent (F) is preferably polysilicone-29.

<29>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to <27> or <28>,wherein the content of the component (F) in the surface finish agent(II) is preferably 0.01% by mass or more, more preferably 0.05% by massor more, further preferably 0.10% by mass or more, further preferably0.20% by mass or more, and preferably 5.00% by mass or less, morepreferably 4.00% by mass or less, further preferably 3.00% by mass orless, further preferably 2.00% by mass or less.

<30>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <27>to <29>, wherein the pH at 25° C. of the surface finish agent (II) ispreferably 1 or higher, more preferably 1.5 or higher, furtherpreferably 2 or higher, and preferably 5 or lower, more preferably 4.0or lower, further preferably 3.5 or lower.

<31>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <27>to <29>, wherein the pH at 25° C. of the surface finish agent (II) ispreferably 7 or higher, more preferably 7.5 or higher, furtherpreferably 8.0 or higher, and preferably 11 or lower, more preferably10.5 or lower, further preferably 10 or lower.

<32>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to any one of <27>to <31>, wherein the bath ratio of the mass of the surface finish agent(II) to the mass of the human hair fiber (the mass of the surface finishagent (II)/the mass of the human hair fiber) is preferably 2 or more,more preferably 5 or more, further preferably 10 or more, and preferably100 or less, more preferably 50 or less, further preferably 20 or less.

<33>

A method for producing a wig, comprising the step of treating human hairfibers for wigs by a method for treating human hair fibers according toany one of <10> to <32>.

<34>

A human hair fiber treatment agent for treating human hair fibersseparated from the human head and artificially fixed at one part of thelongitudinal direction, wherein the human hair fiber treatment agentcomprises the following components (A) to (C) in the formulation thereofand has pH of 7.0 to 11:

(A) 1.5 to 15% by mass of formaldehyde;

(B) 4.2 to 42% by mass of melamine; and

(C) a balance of water.

<35>

A human hair fiber treatment agent kit for treating human hair fibersseparated from the human head and artificially fixed at one part of thelongitudinal direction, wherein the human hair fiber treatment agent kitcomprises a human hair fiber treatment agent according to <34> and apost-cross-linking agent comprising the following components (D) and (C)and having pH of 1.0 to 4.5:

(D) 1 to 20% by mass of glyoxylic acid or formaldehyde; and

(C) a balance of water.

<36>

The human hair fiber treatment agent kit according to <35>, preferablyfurther comprising a surface finish agent (I) comprising the followingcomponents (E) and (C) and having pH of 1.0 to 6.5:

(E) 20 to 60% by mass of resorcinol; and

(C) a balance of water.

<37>

A method for treating human hair fibers, comprising the following step(i):

(i) the step of immersing human hair fibers separated from the humanhead and artificially fixed at one part of the longitudinal direction ina human hair fiber treatment agent under heating of 90 to 99° C. for 1to 3 hours at a bath ratio of (human hair fiber treatment agentmass)/(human hair fiber mass)=20 to 100, wherein

the human hair fiber treatment agent comprising the components (A) to(C) in the formulation thereof and having pH of 7.0 to 11.0:

(A) 1.5 to 15% by mass of formaldehyde;

(B) 4.2 to 42% by mass of melamine; and

(C) a balance of water.

<38>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to <37>, preferablyfurther comprising the following step (ii) after the step (i):

(ii) the step of immersing the human hair fibers treated in the step (i)in a post-cross-linking agent at a temperature of 90 to 90° C. for 1 to3 hours at a bath ratio of (post-cross-linking agent mass)/(the mass ofthe human hair fibers treated in the step (i))=20 to 100, wherein

the post-cross-linking agent comprises the following components (D) and(C) and has pH of 1.0 to 4.5:

(D) 1 to 20% by mass of glyoxylic acid or formaldehyde; and

(C) a balance of water.

<39>

The method for treating human hair fibers according to <38>, preferablyfurther comprising the following step (iii) after the step (ii):

(iii) the step of immersing the human hair fibers treated in the step(ii) in a surface finish agent (I) at a temperature of 20 to 90° C. for24 to 168 hours at a bath ratio of (the mass of the surface finish agent(I))/(the mass of the human hair fibers treated in the step (ii))=20 to100, wherein

the surface finish agent (I) comprises the following components (E) and(C) and has pH of 1.0 to 6.5:

(E) 20 to 60% by mass of resorcinol; and

(C) a balance of water.

EXAMPLES Examples 1 to 6, Comparative Examples 1 to 4 (Treatment withHuman Hair Fiber Treatment Agent)

Each treatment agent shown in Table 1 was prepared and used intreatments given below to evaluate its shape sustainability, goodsurface feel, and durability. The results are also shown in Table 1. pHof each composition was measured directly from the prepared compositionat room temperature (25° C.) using a pH meter (manufactured by HORIBA,Ltd., F-52).

<Treatment with Human Hair Fiber Treatment Agent>

1. A 25 cm long tress consisting of 0.5 g of Caucasian hair (untreatedhair/almost straight hair with very slight wave) was immersed in 40 g ofthe human hair fiber treatment agent contained in a container. Theresulting container was hermetically sealed by covering the opening ofthe container with plastic wrap, and heated for 1 hour in an oven(Drying Oven Forced Convection System with Window Stainless;manufactured by AS ONE Corporation, SOFW-450) set to 90° C.

2. The container containing the tress was taken out of the oven andcooled to room temperature.

3. The tress was taken out of the container, rinsed under running tapwater of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams of shampoo forevaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of 30° C. for30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the tress was dried with awarm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).At this point in time, the tress maintained straight hair.

<Formulation of Shampoo for Evaluation>

Component (% by mass) Sodium laureth sulfate 15.5 Lauramide DEA 1.5Sodium benzoate 0.5 EDTA-2Na 0.3 Phosphoric acid amount necessary for pHadjustment to 7 Deionized water balance Total 100.0

<Shape Sustainability>

1. The tress (straight hair) subjected to <Treatment with human hairfiber treatment agent> was wetted with tap water of 30° C. for 30seconds. Then, the wet tress was wrapped around a plastic rod having adiameter of 14 mm and fixed with a clip.

2. The whole rod was hermetically wrapped by covering with plastic wrap,and heated for 1 hour in an oven set to 90° C.

3. The tress was taken out of the oven and cooled to room temperature.

4. The tress was removed from the rod, rinsed under running tap water of30° C. for 30 seconds, and washed with foams of shampoo for evaluationfor 60 seconds.

5. The tress was rinsed under running tap water of 30° C. for 30seconds, immersed in tap water of 30° C. for 60 seconds at an infinitebath ratio, then gently pulled out of water by holding the root of thetress, and drained by light shaking.

6. The tress was left standing by hanging for 2 hours in a laboratory,dried, and combed. Then, the tress was hung and photographed from theside. On the basis of the photograph, the curvature radius (r) andcurvature (l/r) of a most strongly curled part of the tress werecalculated.

(Evaluation Criteria)

The curvature of untreated hair was defined as 1/r₀, and the curvaturemeasured by step 6 described above was defined as 1/r. The rate (I) ofincrease in curvature (%) determined according to an expression givenbelow was defined as shape sustainability (as the curled shape conferredby wrapping around a rod and heating is sustained as strong curl afterhair wash, the value of I gets larger; the larger value of I means thatthe shape once conferred lasts longer, i.e., the shape sustainability ishigher).

I=[(1/r)/(1/r ₀)]×100[%].

<Good Surface Feel>

For the evaluation of feel, the tress immediately after evaluation of<Shape sustainability> was used and evaluated for its smooth feel whentouched by hands, by 5 dedicated panelists according to the criteriagiven below. A numeric value obtained by rounding off a mean from the 5panelists was used as evaluation results.

(Evaluation Criteria)

5: very smooth hand feeling as compared with untreated hair.

4: smooth hand feeling as compared with untreated hair.

3: slightly smooth hand feeling as compared with untreated hair.

2: very slightly smooth hand feeling as compared with untreated hair.

1: the same hand feeling as in untreated hair.

<Durability>

For the evaluation of durability, the tress immediately after evaluationof <Shape sustainability> was used, and the tensile modulus ofelasticity (Young's modulus) was used as an index for the durability ofhuman hair fibers. The evaluation was conducted by the following steps.

1. Five human hair fibers were cut out from the root of the tress. A 3cm human hair fiber specimen was collected from around the intermediatebetween the root and tip of each human hair fiber to obtain a total often 3 cm human hair fiber specimens. Each human hair fiber specimen wasleft in a room of 20° C. and 60% RH for humidity condition for 24 hours.

2. The human hair fiber specimen was set in “MTT690 Automated FiberTensile Tester” manufactured by DIA-STRON limited. Automated measurementwas started to determine the tensile modulus of elasticity (Young'smodulus) in a wet state of the human hair fiber. The tensile modulus ofelasticity (Young's modulus) shown in the tables was determined from amean of the measurement results at N=5. A higher numeric value meansbetter strength as well as better durability.

TABLE 1 Example Comparative Example Component (% by mass) 1 2 3 4 5 61(*) 2 3 4 Human hair (A) Formaldehyde 5 1.5 15 10 5 3.7 Not 5 — 0.5fiber (B) Melamine 14 4.2 42 14 14 14 treated — 14 1.4 treatment (C)Water Balance Balance Balance Balance Balance Balance Balance BalanceBalance agent Others Sodium hydroxide (**) (**) (**) (**) (**) (**) (**)(**) (**) Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 pH (25° C.) 9 9 9 99 9 9 9 9 Molar ratio (A)/(B) 1.5 1.5 1.5 3 1.5 1.1 — — 1.5 Bath ratio80 80 80 80 4 80 80 80 80 Evaluation Shape sustainability 250 152 263227 167 278 100 102 100 104 (value of l) Human hair fiber 3 3 2 2 2 4 11 1 1 surface feel Durability (Young's 2.14 1.94 2.39 2.30 2.04 2.211.86 1.83 1.74 1.90 modulus [GPa]) (**)untreated hair (**): amount forpH adjustment

Examples 7 to 14 and Comparative Examples 5 to 8 (Treatment with HumanHair Fiber Treatment Agent+Treatment with Aftertreatment Agent)

Each treatment agent shown in Table 2 was prepared and used intreatments given below to evaluate its shape sustainability, goodsurface feel, and durability according to the same method and criteriaas in Examples 1 to 6. The results are also shown in Table 2. pH of eachcomposition was measured directly from the prepared composition at roomtemperature (25° C.) using a pH meter (manufactured by HORIBA, Ltd.,F-52).

<Treatment with Human Hair Fiber Treatment Agent>

1. A 25 cm long tress consisting of 0.5 g of Caucasian straight hair(untreated hair) was immersed in 40 g of the human hair fiber treatmentagent contained in a container. The resulting container was hermeticallysealed by covering the opening of the container with plastic wrap, andheated for the time shown in Table 2 in an oven set to 90° C.

2. The container containing the tress was taken out of the oven andcooled to room temperature.

3. The tress was taken out of the container, rinsed under running tapwater of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams of shampoo forevaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of 30° C. for30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the tress was dried with awarm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).At this point in time, the tress maintained straight hair.

4. Subsequently, the tress obtained in step 3 was immersed in 40 g ofthe post-cross-linking agent contained in a container. The resultingcontainer was hermetically sealed by covering the opening of thecontainer with plastic wrap, and heated for 1 hour in an oven set to 90°C.

5. The container containing the tress was taken out of the oven andcooled to room temperature.

6. The tress was taken out of the container, rinsed under running tapwater of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams of shampoo forevaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of 30° C. for30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the tress was dried with awarm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).At this point in time, the tress maintained straight hair.

TABLE 2 Example Component (% by mass) 1 7 8 9 10 11 12 Human hair (A)Formaldehyde 5 5 5 5 5 1.5 15 fiber (B) Melamine 14 14 14 14 14 4.2 42treatment (C) Water Balance Balance Balance Balance Balance BalanceBalance agent Others Glutaraldehyde — — — 1.6 — — — Sodium hydroxide (*)(*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 pH (25° C.) 99 9 9 9 9 9 Molar ratio (A)/(B) 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 Bath ratio80 80 80 80 80 80 80 Heating time 1 h 2 h 2 h 2 h 1 h 1 h 1 hPost-cross- (D) Glyoxylic acid Not Not 10 10 10 10 10 linking (C) Watertreated treated Balance Balance Balance Balance Balance agent OthersSodium hydroxide (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) Total 100 100 100 100 100 pH (25°C.) 2 2 2 2 2 Evaluation Shape sustainability 250 313 357 500 333 208417 (value of l) Human hair fiber 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 surface feel Durability(Young's 2.14 — — 2.55 2.16 1.96 2.12 modulus [GPa]) Example ComparativeExample Component (% by mass) 13 14 5 6 7 8 Human hair (A) Formaldehyde5 3.7 Not 5 — 0.5 fiber (B) Melamine 14 14 treated — 14 1.4 treatment(C) Water Balance Balance Balance Balance Balance agent OthersGlutaraldehyde — — — — — Sodium hydroxide (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) Total 100100 100 100 100 pH (25° C.) 9 9 9 9 9 Molar ratio (A)/(B) 1.5 1.1 — — —Bath ratio 4 80 80 80 80 Heating time 1 h 1 h 1 h 1 h 1 h Post-cross-(D) Glyoxylic acid 10 10 10 10 10 10 linking (C) Water Balance BalanceBalance Balance Balance Balance agent Others Sodium hydroxide (*) (*)(*) (*) (*) (*) Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 pH (25° C.) 2 2 2 2 2 2Evaluation Shape sustainability 294 417 104 109 104 114 (value of l)Human hair fiber 2 4 1 1 1 1 surface feel Durability (Young's 1.93 2.331.51 1.59 1.63 1.72 modulus [GPa]) (*): Amount for pH adjustment

Examples 15 to 17 (Treatment with Human Hair Fiber TreatmentAgent+Treatment with Post-Cross-Linking Agent)

Each treatment agent shown in Table 3 was prepared and used intreatments given below to evaluate its shape sustainability, goodsurface feel, and durability according to the same method and criteriaas in Examples 1 to 6. The results are also shown in Table 3. pH of eachcomposition was measured directly from the prepared composition at roomtemperature (25° C.) using a pH meter (manufactured by HORIBA, Ltd.,F-52).

<Treatment with Human Hair Fiber Treatment Agent>

1. A 25 cm long tress consisting of 0.5 g of Caucasian straight hair(untreated hair) was immersed in 40 g of the human hair fiber treatmentagent contained in a container. The resulting container was hermeticallysealed by covering the opening of the container with plastic wrap, andheated for 2 hours in an oven set to 90° C.

2. The container containing the tress was taken out of the oven andcooled to room temperature.

3. The tress was taken out of the container, rinsed under running tapwater of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams of shampoo forevaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of 30° C. for30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the tress was dried with awarm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).At this point in time, the tress maintained straight hair.

4. Subsequently, the tress obtained in step 3 was immersed in 40 g ofthe post-cross-linking agent contained in a container. The resultingcontainer was hermetically sealed by covering the opening of thecontainer with plastic wrap, and heated for 1 hour in an oven set to 90°C.

5. The container containing the tress was taken out of the oven andcooled to room temperature.

6. The tress was taken out of the container, rinsed under running tapwater of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams of shampoo forevaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of 30° C. for30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the tress was dried with awarm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).At this point in time, the tress maintained straight hair.

TABLE 3 Example Component (% by mass) 9 15 16 17 Human hair fiber (A)Formaldehyde 5 5 5 5 treatment agent (B) Melamine 14 14 14 14 (C) WaterBalance Balance Balance Balance Others Glutaraldehyde 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6Sodium hydroxide (*) (*) (*) (*) Total 100 100 100 100 pH (25° C.) 9 9 99 Post-cross- (D) Formaldehyde — 4 — — linking agent Glyoxylic acid 10 —— — Glyoxal — — 7.8 — Glutaraldehyde — — — 13.5 (C) Water BalanceBalance Balance Balance Others Phosphoric acid — 10 10 10 Sodiumhydroxide (*) (*) (*) (*) Total 100 100 100 100 pH (25° C.) 2 2 2 2Evaluation Shape sustainability (value of l) 500 417 385 455 Human hairfiber surface feel 3 3 3 2 Durability (Young's modulus) 2.55 2.29 2.062.01 (*): Amount for pH adjustment

Example 18 (Treatment with Human Hair Fiber Treatment Agent+Treatmentwith Surface Finish Agent (I))

Each treatment agent shown in Table 4 was prepared and used intreatments given below to evaluate its shape sustainability, goodsurface feel, and durability according to the same method and criteriaas in Examples 1 to 6. The results are also shown in Table 4. pH of eachcomposition was measured directly from the prepared composition at roomtemperature (25° C.) using a pH meter (manufactured by HORIBA, Ltd.,F-52).

<Treatment with Human Hair Fiber Treatment Agent>

1. A 25 cm long tress consisting of 0.5 g of Caucasian straight hair(untreated hair) was immersed in 40 g of the human hair fiber treatmentagent contained in a container. The resulting container was hermeticallysealed by covering the opening of the container with plastic wrap, andheated for 2 hours in an oven set to 90° C.

2. The container containing the tress was taken out of the oven andcooled to room temperature.

3. The tress was taken out of the container, rinsed under running tapwater of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams of shampoo forevaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of 30° C. for30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the tress was dried with awarm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).At this point in time, the tress maintained straight hair.

4. Subsequently, the tress obtained in step 3 was immersed in 40 g ofthe post-cross-linking agent contained in a container. The resultingcontainer was hermetically sealed by covering the opening of thecontainer with plastic wrap, and heated for 1 hour in an oven set to 90°C.

5. The container containing the tress was taken out of the oven andcooled to room temperature.

6. The tress was taken out of the container, rinsed under running tapwater of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams of shampoo forevaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of 30° C. for30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the tress was dried with awarm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).At this point in time, the tress maintained straight hair.

7. Subsequently, the tress obtained in step 3 was immersed in 40 g ofthe surface finish agent (I) contained in a container. The resultingcontainer was hermetically sealed by covering the opening of thecontainer with plastic wrap, and heated for 72 hours in an oven set to40° C.

8. The container containing the tress was taken out of the oven andcooled to room temperature.

9. The tress was taken out of the container, rinsed under running tapwater of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams of shampoo forevaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of 30° C. for30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the tress was dried with awarm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).At this point in time, the tress maintained straight hair.

TABLE 4 Example Component (% by mass) 9 18 Human hair (A) Formaldehyde 55 fiber treat- (B) Melamine 14 14 ment agent (C) Water Balance BalanceOthers Glutaraldehyde 1.6 1.6 Sodium hydroxide (*) (*) Total 100 100 pH(25° C.) 9 9 Post-cross- (C) Water Balance Balance linking agent OthersGlyoxylic acid 10 10 Sodium hydroxide (*) (*) Total 100 100 pH (25° C.)2 2 Surface finish (E) Resorcinol Not treated 40 agent (1) (C) WaterBalance Others Hydrochloric acid (*) Total 100 pH (25° C.) 2 EvaluationShape sustainability (value of l) 500 500 Human hair fiber surface feel3 5 Durability (Young's modulus) 2.55 2.30 (*): Amount for pH adjustment

Example 19 (Treatment with Human Hair Fiber TreatmentAgent+Post-Cross-Linking Agent+Treatment with Surface Finish Agent (II))

Each treatment agent shown in Table 5 was prepared and used intreatments given below to evaluate its shape sustainability, goodsurface feel, durability, and hydrophobicity according to a method andcriteria given below. The results are also shown in Table 5. pH of eachcomposition was measured directly from the prepared composition at roomtemperature (25° C.) using a pH meter (manufactured by HORIBA, Ltd.,F-52).

Evaluation Method:

A trial fitting test by three wig users as product testers was conductedto perform sensory evaluation on shape sustainability, good surfacefeel, durability, and hydrophobicity. Two wigs of 100% human hair in thesame model from the same manufacturer were provided. Then, only one ofthe wigs was used in treatments given below with a treatment agent shownin Table 5. The trial fitting of the untreated product for 3 weeks andthe treated product for 3 weeks was performed to evaluate each item(shape sustainability, good surface feel, durability, andhydrophobicity) on a scale of 1 to 5 (5: best, 1: lowest).

The results are shown in Tables 6 and 7.

<Treatment with Human Hair Fiber Treatment Agent>

1. A wig of 100% human hair (200 g; including 150 g of human hairfibers) was immersed in 1,000 g of the human hair fiber treatment agentcontained in a container. The resulting container was hermeticallysealed by covering the opening of the container with plastic wrap, andheated for 1 hour in an oven set to 90° C.

2. The container containing the wig of 100% human hair was taken out ofthe oven and cooled to room temperature.

3. The wig of 100% human hair was taken out of the container, rinsedunder running tap water of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams ofshampoo for evaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of30° C. for 30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the wig of 100%human hair was dried with a warm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM &Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).

4. Subsequently, the wig of 100% human hair obtained in step 3 wasimmersed in 1,000 g of the post-cross-linking agent contained in acontainer. The resulting container was hermetically sealed by coveringthe opening of the container with plastic wrap, and heated for 1 hour inan oven set to 90° C.

5. The container containing the wig of 100% human hair was taken out ofthe oven and cooled to room temperature.

6. The wig of 100% human hair was taken out of the container, rinsedunder running tap water of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams ofshampoo for evaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of30° C. for 30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the wig of 100%human hair was dried with a warm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM &Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).

7. Subsequently, 50 g of the surface finish agent (II) was sprayed tothe wig of 100% human hair obtained in step 6, which was then dried witha warm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co., Ltd., Nobby WhiteNB3000).

8. The wig of 100% human hair was taken out of the container, rinsedunder running tap water of 30° C. for 30 seconds, washed with foams ofshampoo for evaluation for 60 seconds, rinsed under running tap water of30° C. for 30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, the wig of 100%human hair was dried with a warm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM &Co., Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).

TABLE 5 Comparative Example Example Component (% by mass) 19 9 Humanhair (A) Formaldehyde 5 Not treated fiber treat- (B) Melamine 14 mentagent (C) Water Balance Others Glutaraldehyde 1.6 Sodium hydroxide (*)Total 100 pH (25° C.) 9 Post-cross- (C) Water Balance linking agentOthers Glyoxylic acid 10 Sodium hydroxide (*) Total 100 pH (25° C.) 2Surface finish (F) Epoxyaminosilane 5 agent (II) copolymer (*1) (C)Water Balance Total 100 pH (25° C.) 4 (*1): Silsoft CLX-E (manufacturedby Momentive Performance Materials, Inc., polysilicone-29: 15% by mass).(*): Amount for pH adjustment

TABLE 6 Product Product Product Example 19 Tester A Tester B Tester CAverage Shape 4 4 2 3.3 sustainability Good surface feel 5 4 4 4.3Durability 5 4 5 4.7 Hydrophobicity 5 4 5 4.7

TABLE 7 Comparative Product Product Product Example 9 Tester A Tester BTester C Average Shape 1 1 1 1.0 sustainability Good surface feel 4 2 22.7 Durability 1 3 5 3.0 Hydrophobicity 4 2 2 2.7

Example 20<Additional Treatment with Bleach Composition>

Human hair fibers can be bleached by additionally performing thefollowing steps before or after any treatment of Examples 1 to 19.

1. A 25 cm long tress consisting of 0.5 g of human hair fibers isimmersed in 40 g of bleach composition 1 contained in a container andleft standing for 2 hours.

2. The tress is taken out of the container, rinsed under running tapwater of 30° C. for 30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, thetress is dried with a warm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co.,Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).

Bleach Composition 1

(% by mass) Strong ammonia water (28% by mass) 2.70 Ammonium bicarbonate4.70 Steartrimonium chloride (manufactured by Kao 8.00 Corporation,QUARTAMIN 86W) 1-Hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid 0.05 (60% bymass) (DEQUEST 2010 cs) Hydrogen peroxide water (35% by mass) 10.90Water balance pH: 9.5

Example 21<Additional Treatment with Hair Dye Composition>

Human hair fibers can be dyed by additionally performing the followingsteps before or after any treatment of Examples 1 to 19.

1. A 25 cm long tress consisting of 0.5 g of human hair fibers isimmersed in 40 g of any of hair dye compositions 1 to 4 contained in acontainer (the hair dye compositions 1 and 4 were each used as a 1:1mixture of the first part and the second part) and left standing for 2hours.

2. The tress is taken out of the container, rinsed under running tapwater of 30° C. for 30 seconds, and slightly towel-dried. Then, thetress is dried with a warm-air dryer (manufactured by TESCOM & Co.,Ltd., Nobby White NB3000).

Hair Dye Composition 1

(% by mass) (First part) Cetearyl alcohol 10.8 Oleth-5 5.0 Oleic acid2.5 Cocamide MEA 4.6 Sodium lauryl sulfate 1.7 Propylene glycolmonostearate 0.6 Anhydrous sodium sulfite 0.5 Ammonia water (28% bymass) 6.5 Toluene-2,5-diamine sulfate 1.3 Resorcinol 0.5 Metaaminophenol0.2 2,4-Diaminophenoxyethanol hydrochloride 0.02 Purified water balance(Second part) Hydrogen peroxide water (35% by mass) 17.1 Cetearylalcohol 1.7 Sodium lauryl sulfate 0.2 Phosphoric acid 0.3 Salicylic acid0.01 Purified water balance

Hair Dye Composition 2

(% by mass) Acid Red 33 0.5 Hydrochloric acid amount for pH adjustmentPurified water balance pH: 4.0

Hair Dye Composition 3

(% by mass) Amodimethicone 1.50 Hydroxyethylcellulose 1.40 Fragrance0.30 Acid Red 52 0.55 Basic Red 51 0.28 HC Red 3 0.01 Water balance

Hair Dye Composition 4

(% by mass) (First part) Ammonium chloride 0.25 Monoethanolamine 0.80Fragrance 0.30 p-Toluenediamine 0.55 Resorcinol 0.28 m-Phenylenediamine0.01 Water balance pH: 6.8 (Second part) Hydrogen peroxide 6.00 Waterbalance pH: 3.4

Example 22<Treatment with Surface Finish Agent (II)>

Each surface finish agent (II) shown in Tables 8 and 9 is appliedaccording to the bath ratio shown in the tables to the human hair fibersafter treatments in Examples 1 to 18, and the human hair fibers can bethoroughly dried using a dryer without washing off the surface finishagent, thereby imparting hydrophobicity thereto and reducing friction.In addition, these effects can be sustained over a long period after thetreatment.

pH in the tables is a value measured directly from each compositionwithout dilution or the like at room temperature (25° C.) using pH meterF-52 manufactured by HORIBA, Ltd.

TABLE 8 Content (% by mass; Surface finish agent (II) active componentfor all) 1 2 3 4 5 6 (F) Epoxyaminosilane copolymer (*1) 1 1 1 1 1 1Ethanol 10 8 8 — — — Benzyl alcohol — 2 — — — — Phenoxyethanol — — 2 — —— Ethyl lactate — — — 10 — — Diethanolamine — — — — 10 — Guanidinehydrochloride — — — — — 10 Water (*2) 89 89 89 89 89 89 Lactic acid (*3)(*3) (*3) (*3) (*3) (*3) Total amount 100 100 100 100 100 100 pH 3.5 3.53.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 Treatment bath ratio 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 (surfacefinish agent (II)/human hair fibers) (*1): Silsoft CLX-E (manufacturedby Momentive Performance Materials, Inc., polysilicone-29: 15% by mass).(*2): Containing water and dipropylene glycol derived from Silsoft CLX-E(*3): Amount for pH adjustment

TABLE 9 Content (% by mass; Surface finish agent (II) active componentfor all) 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 (F) Epoxyaminosilane copolymer (*1) 0.10.5 5 1 1 1 1 1 Ethanol 10 10 10 5 7 20 93.3 20 Benzyl alcohol — — — — —— — 2 Phenoxyethanol — — — — — — — 2 Water (*2) 89.9 89.5 85 94 92 795.7 75 Lactic acid (*3) (*3) (*3) (*3) (*3) (*3) (*3) (*3) Total amount100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 pH 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5Treatment bath ratio 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 (surface finishagent (II)/human hair fibers) (*1): Silsoft CLX-E (manufactured byMomentive Performance Materials, Inc., polysilicone-29: 15% by mass).(*2): Containing water and dipropylene glycol derived from Silsoft CLX-E(*3): Amount for pH adjustment

1. A human hair fiber treatment agent, comprising the followingcomponents (A) to (C): (A): formaldehyde or a hydrate thereof; (B): acompound represented by the formula (1):

wherein R¹ to R³ are the same or different and each represent a hydrogenatom, an amino group, a hydroxymethylamino group, a hydroxy group, ahalogen atom, a phenyl group, a linear or branched alkyl group oralkenyl group having 1 or more and 6 or less carbon atoms, or a linearor branched alkoxy group or alkenyloxy group having 1 or more and 6 orless carbon atoms; and (C): water, wherein: a content of the component(A) is 1% by mass or more; and the human hair fiber treatment agent issuitable for treating human hair fibers separated from the human headand artificially fixed at one part of the longitudinal direction.
 2. Thehuman hair fiber treatment agent according to claim 1, wherein thecontent of the component (A) is 1% by mass or more and 60% by mass orless.
 3. The human hair fiber treatment agent according to claim 1,wherein a content of the component (B) is 0.1% by mass or more and 60%by mass or less.
 4. A method for treating human hair fibers, comprising:(i) immersing human hair fibers separated from the human head andartificially fixed at one part of the longitudinal direction in a humanhair fiber treatment agent according to claim 1 under heating.
 5. Themethod according to claim 4, wherein in (i), a bath ratio (a mass of thehuman hair fiber treatment agent)/(a mass of the human hair fibers) is 2or more.
 6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising, after(i): (ii) immersing the human hair fibers in a post-cross-linking agentcomprising the following components (D) and (C): (D): at least oneformaldehyde derivative selected from the group consisting offormaldehyde, formaldehyde hydrate, glyoxylic acid, glyoxylic acidhydrate, glyoxylate, glyoxal, glyoxal hydrate, glutaraldehyde, andglutaraldehyde hydrate; and (C): water.
 7. The method according to claim4, further comprising, after (i): (iii) immersing the human hair fibersin a surface finish agent (I) comprising the following components (E)and (C): (E): a resorcinol derivative represented by the formula (2):

wherein A¹ to A⁴ are the same or different and each represent a hydrogenatom, a hydroxy group, a halogen atom, a carboxyl group or a saltthereof, a sulfonic acid group or a salt thereof, a linear or branchedalkyl group or alkenyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or a linear orbranched alkoxy group or alkenyloxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms;and (C): water. 8-9. (canceled)
 10. The method according to claim 6,further comprising, after (ii): (iii) immersing the human hair fibers ina surface finish agent (I) comprising the following components (E) and(C): (E): a resorcinol derivative represented by the formula (2):

wherein A¹ to A⁴ are the same or different and each represent a hydrogenatom, a hydroxy group, a halogen atom, a carboxyl group or a saltthereof, a sulfonic acid group or a salt thereof, a linear or branchedalkyl group or alkenyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or a linear orbranched alkoxy group or alkenyloxy group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms;and (C): water.
 11. The method according to claim 4, further comprising,after (i): (iv) immersing the human hair fibers in a surface finishagent (II) comprising the following components (F) and (C): (F): anepoxyaminosilane copolymer which is a reaction product of the followingcompounds (a) to (d): (a) polysiloxane having at least two oxiranylgroups or oxetanyl groups; (b) polyether having at least two oxiranylgroups or oxetanyl groups; (c) aminopropyltrialkoxysilane: and (d) acompound selected from the group consisting of the following primary andsecondary amines, wherein the primary amines are methylamine,ethylamine, propyleneamine, ethanolamine, isopropyl amine, butylamine,isobutylamine, hexylamine, dodecylamine, oleylamine, aniline,aminopropyltrimethylsilane, aminopropyltriethylsilane, aminomorpholine,aminopropyldiethylamine, benzylamine, naphthylamine,3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole, 1-aminoheptafluorohexane, and2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-pentadecafluoro-1-octanamine, and thesecondary amines are methylethylamine, methyloctadecylamine,diethanolamine, dibenzylamine, dihexylamine, dicyclohexylamine,piperidine, pyrrolidine, phthalimide, and polymer amine; and (C): water.12. The method according to claim 6, further comprising, after (ii):(iv) immersing the human hair fibers in a surface finish agent (II)comprising the following components (F) and (C): (F): anepoxyaminosilane copolymer which is a reaction product of the followingcompounds (a) to (d): (a) polysiloxane having at least two oxiranylgroups or oxetanyl groups; (b) polyether having at least two oxiranylgroups or oxetanyl groups; (c) aminopropyltrialkoxysilane: and (d) acompound selected from the group consisting of the following primary andsecondary amines, wherein the primary amines are methylamine,ethylamine, propyleneamine, ethanolamine, isopropyl amine, butylamine,isobutylamine, hexylamine, dodecylamine, oleylamine, aniline,aminopropyltrimethylsilane, aminopropyltriethylsilane, aminomorpholine,aminopropyldiethylamine, benzylamine, naphthylamine,3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole, 1-aminoheptafluorohexane, and2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-pentadecafluoro-1-octanamine; and thesecondary amine are methylethylamine, methyloctadecylamine,diethanolamine, dibenzylamine, dihexylamine, dicyclohexylamine,piperidine, pyrrolidine, phthalimide, and polymer amine; and (C): water.13. The method according to claim 7, further comprising, after (iii):(iv) immersing the human hair fibers in a surface finish agent (II)comprising the following components (F) and (C): (F): anepoxyaminosilane copolymer which is a reaction product of the followingcompounds (a) to (d): (a) polysiloxane having at least two oxiranylgroups or oxetanyl groups; (b) polyether having at least two oxiranylgroups or oxetanyl groups; (c) aminopropyltrialkoxysilane: and (d) acompound selected from the group consisting of the following primary andsecondary amines, wherein the primary amines are methylamine,ethylamine, propyleneamine, ethanolamine, isopropyl amine, butylamine,isobutylamine, hexylamine, dodecylamine, oleylamine, aniline,aminopropyltrimethylsilane, aminopropyltriethylsilane, aminomorpholine,aminopropyldiethylamine, benzylamine, naphthylamine,3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole, 1-aminoheptafluorohexane, and2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-pentadecafluoro-1-octanamine; and thesecondary amines are methylethylamine, methyloctadecylamine,diethanolamine, dibenzylamine, dihexylamine, dicyclohexylamine,piperidine, pyrrolidine, phthalimide, and polymer amine; and (C): water.14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising, after (iii):(iv) immersing the human hair fibers in a surface finish agent (II)comprising the following components (F) and (C): (F): anepoxyaminosilane copolymer which is a reaction product of the followingcompounds (a) to (d): (a) polysiloxane having at least two oxiranylgroups or oxetanyl groups; (b) polyether having at least two oxiranylgroups or oxetanyl groups; (c) aminopropyltrialkoxysilane: and (d) acompound selected from the group consisting of the following primary andsecondary amines, wherein the primary amines are methylamine,ethylamine, propyleneamine, ethanolamine, isopropyl amine, butylamine,isobutylamine, hexylamine, dodecylamine, oleylamine, aniline,aminopropyltrimethylsilane, aminopropyltriethylsilane, aminomorpholine,aminopropyldiethylamine, benzylamine, naphthylamine,3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole, 1-aminoheptafluorohexane, and2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-pentadecafluoro-1-octanamine, and thesecondary amines are methylethylamine, methyloctadecylamine,diethanolamine, dibenzylamine, dihexylamine, dicyclohexylamine,piperidine, pyrrolidine, phthalimide, and polymer amine; and (C): water.15. A method for producing a wig, comprising treating human hair fibersimplanted in a wig by a method for treating human hair fibers accordingto claim 4.